


Flight of Fear

by Spiderwiz



Series: The "Flight" Series [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 13:43:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 8,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18500170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spiderwiz/pseuds/Spiderwiz
Summary: Part 1 of the "Flight" series:Scarecrow has escaped Arkham again, and it's up to the Dynamic Duo to stop him. But what happens when Bruce is acting more and more overprotective of Dick and refused to let him continue the case? What is really going on here?





	1. Chapter 1

Batman and Robin had been tracking down Scarecrow for the past week now, and though they were getting closer, they still didn't have any real leads. Robin was getting annoyed, and for several reasons. 

One: How come the big baddies never seemed to stay in Arkham for long? The Dynamic duo was constantly recapturing escaped villains and it was getting old. 

Two: The search for Scarecrow was keeping Dick from being able to get all his homework done, and though he was a certified genius, he still needed to keep his grades up, especially since he had to prove he could handle being two grades ahead. 

And three: Something was going on that Bruce wouldn't tell him. Dick suspected that it had something to do with the rumors he'd been hearing about the new fear gass Scarecrow had created, but he wasn't sure. And Bruce was treating him differently because of it. He had even said that he was considering to not let Dick continue working this case. 

Now Dick knew that Bruce only cared for his safety and all, and sure, he was only 13, but they were partners. He deserved to know what Bruce was keeping from him. He deserved to be able to help! Besides, Robin had faced Scarecrow before. Heck, he had faced villains worse than him before, and he was still perfectly fine! What could be so bad that Batman might not let him continue this case??

But then...On top of all that, Bruce was hosting another one of his annual rich-people parties or whatever, and he was forcing Dick to come. Dick hated those types of parties and events. He hated having to get all dressed up and be on his perfectly best behavior (not that he regularly behaved badly), and act all in ice too around the elites. Not to mention the few select individuals attending these parties that seemed to hate him. Dick guessed it was because he was a “lowly” Romani orphan from the circus and the rich folk didn't feel like he belonged, but whatever the reason, Dick didn't care. They had no right to treat him like he was scum. 

 

Dick sighed as he leaned back in his chair in the Batcave and tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking about all of this. His mask was currently off and set to the side. 

He was overthinking all of this. The party would be fine. Dreadfully boring, but fine. After all, he had survived plenty of events like this before. And he knew Bruce would never let anyone talk bad about him. Say what you might, but Bruce Wayne was a great guardian, albeit an overprotective one. All would go well, and if Dick tried hard enough, he bet he could also convince Bruce to agree to let him continue the case. 

“-You in here? Dick?”

Upon hearing Bruce’s voice echo throughout the cave, Dick stood up and turned around so he was facing his said guardian. 

“Here,” Dick replied. “Sorry, I was just double-checking some files real quick.”

Bruce- wearing the batman costume minus the cowl- glanced over at the mostly neat stack of files Dick had left on the computer desk. “Right...Well it's getting pretty late now, and you have school in the morning. If you don't go to bed soon, Alfred will have my head.”

Dick frowned to this, but didn't argue. Again, Bruce had been treating him different lately. He wasn't letting him patrol as late, and was making him go back to the cave before Midnight had even struck. Sure, school was in session and all, but that hadn't stopped the Dynamic Duo from staying out past 1 before. Something was up with Bruce and Dick wanted- no needed- to know what. 

“Okay… Night then…” Dick replied with a bit of hesitation. He watched as Bruce gave a simple nod in return and walked away.

Dick went back up to the manor and stalked to his room. He'd just have to continue all his work tomorrow and hope something would finally break through. 

As he laid down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, Dick sighed. Sooner or later all of this would be over and Bruce could stop treating him like a child. Sooner or later…


	2. Chapter 2

“Master Richard, it's time for breakfast,” Alfred’s voice rang out from behind Dick’s door, who was already awake and pulling on some clothes. 

“Okay Alfie, I'll be down in a minute.” Ah. Mornings. It was the same routine everyday. He would wake up fairly early, get dressed and otherwise ready for the day, go down for breakfast, then hop in the car while Alfred drove him to school. 

Dick quickly finished tugging his shirt on, then headed to the kitchen where his breakfast was waiting. As he slid into his usual seat, he noticed Bruce wasn't there. That was usually pretty normal though. He was a busy guy, between his day and night jobs. 

As Dick started eating and downed his glass of orange juice, Alfred cane over to refill it. “Pleasant morning, Master Dick?” Alfred asked his young charge, who shrugged in reply. 

“Yeah, pretty good I guess.” He took another bite of his eggs, before swallowing and setting his fork down, deciding to ask the question that was burning at him. 

“Is it just me or had Bruce been acting… Off...Lately?” 

“I'm afraid I don't understand, sir.”

“I mean...Bruce has been acting more overprotective of me lately, or at least seems like he had. He hasn't been letting me go on patrol as often or as late either…”

Dick glanced at the butler. “And all of this started when he found out Scarecrow had escaped. He's escaped before, what makes this time any different?”

A sigh emitted from Alfred. “Master Bruce hasn't given me all the details, but I can assure you that everything will be fine, Master Dick. He is most likely just worried for you.”

Dick frowned slightly. “But why? I've been doing this stuff for years now.” Alfred went to the table and took Dick’s empty plate and glass away before he returned, looking the young lad in the eyes. 

“Perhaps there is more to this case than meets the eye. I'm quite sure it will all blow off once Scarecrow is contained again.”

Dick huffed, annoyed that Alfred didn't directly answer his question, but didn't say anything else. He needed to know. But he supposed Alfred was right. Bruce would most likely be back to normal once this whole thing was over. The stress was probably just getting to him, what with the upcoming gathering and all. 

Standing up, Fick put on a slightly strained smile and pushed his chair in. “Well Then, breakfast was delicious. Thanks again Alfie.”

“You're quite welcome, Master Dick. Now I take it you're ready to head to school?”

~*~

The school day passed by quickly, and before Dick knew it, he was back at Wayne Manor. He easily and quickly finished his homework, then went downstairs for a snack. As he munched on one of Alfred’s famous cookies, he looked up at the said butler. “Alfie, do you know when Bruce’ll be home?” he asked. 

“Around 5’o clock, young sir.”

“Good. Maybe he’ll let us go on patrol early tonight.”

“Perhaps.”

And maybe he’ll give me some answers, he thought to himself. Besides, if they were lucky, they might even run into Scarecrow or at least get a lead on him. It was about time they did. 

The two of them were silent for a few minutes- Dick eating his cookies, and Alfred cleaning- until the butler spoke up, interrupting the silence. 

“Master Bruce wanted me to alert you of your fitting on Friday after school.”

The corners of Dick’s mouth turned downwards. “A fitting? Why? I already have more suits than I can count.”

“Is for the party on Saturday evening. Master Wayne and I both agreed that you could use a new suit.”

Dick mumbled something incoherent. 

“Pardon, Master Grayson?”

“...Fine…”


	3. Chapter 3

When Bruce first heard that Scarecrow had escaped from Arkham Asylum, he didn't think it would be a big deal. While it was annoying whenever an inmate escaped, he was used to it by now, and knew it would usually be easy to capture them again. Upon further detective work though, Bruce found out some disturbing things that proved this would not be as easy as he'd originally thought.

Between Gordon and his own methods, Batman was able to find evidence that Scarecrow wasn't working alone. It was unclear how many associates he had, but whoever they were, they were dangerous. 

Before Scarecrow escaped, the video footage had been cut out, so no one currently knew exactly how he was busted out, but Batman knew it had something to do with the guards. 

It was...strange… Five of them were found unconscious on the ground by their posts, but when they woke up, they were all hysterical; afraid of everything. Batman knew this to be the work of the fear gas, but that wasn't what was strange. 

Several hours after the guards had been found, two ended up dead. Two of the other guards had gone insane from the fear the gas caused them, and even four days later, no antidote was able to cure them. They would barely speak, and even if they did, it was unintelligible. 

The fate of the fifth guard mystified Batman, and it had been bothering him for the past week. The guard, Nate Jackson, was hysterical for about an hour, but then calmed down and acted like everything was fine. But four days later, his wife called the station in alarm, saying he woke up in the night, screaming as if the world was ending, before opening and jumping out of the 2nd story window. He lived, but broke his neck, and was currently confined to the hospital. After that incident, there were moments Nate would be back to normal, only to then cower in fear again. There wasn't a pattern to his bouts of fright either. They were completely random. 

While the prospect of a possibly deadly new fear gas was enough reason for Batman to keep Robin from this case, the real reason was because he found out that his young partner was Scarecrow’s next target. While investigating Arkham, a photo of a robin (the actual bird) had been found with two x’s over its eyes, and under it, in red ink, the words ‘he’s next’ were written. 

Since then, Batman hadn't wasted a moment of his time, for fear of Dick’s life. He wasn't sure why they wanted his surrogate son, or why they even told him they were coming after him, but Bruce was determined to find out. 

Bruce personally thought that the whole thing was like one big game. Scarecrow escaped, but this time he had some extra help. Then, he left a note saying they were coming after Robin. But why, why did they tell him that? Why didn't they just come after him in secret? It was almost as if they wanted Batman to stop them…

His worry and excessive searching had caused the billionaire a great lack of sleep, and Bruce just kept pushing it back even more. How could he sleep?! Some insane villains were after his son and he didn't know what their plan was. It had gotten to the point where Bruce started to avoid Dick. If they ran into each other, he knew the boy would ask if they could go on patrol, and that was the last thing Bruce wanted. If Robin wasn't out on patrol, then Scarecrow couldn't get him. He knew it was only a matter of time though, before Dick confronted him about this. 

Until then though, Bruce made up his mind that he would continue avoiding Dick for his own good. The less he knew about this case, the better. If he found out some baddies were after him, there was no telling what he would do. 

Bruce just hoped he'd be able to keep everything from him until then…


	4. Chapter 4

Bruce didn't get back to Wayne Manor till a little after 5 o’clock, just as Alfred predicted. As soon as he arrived, he was greeted by the familiar face of said butler, who immediately took his coat. 

“Ah, Master Bruce, you're home just in time for supper,” Alfred said as Bruce stepped inside, the air around him suddenly much warmer. It was nearly winter now, and was already getting quite chilly -not that it bothered Bruce, of course. 

“Great, thanks Alfred.” Letting out a sigh of relief, he walked to the dining room where he could smell dinner. He stopped though, upon hearing Alfred clear his threat. 

“Sir, if I may, Master Dick has been wishing to speak with you. Perhaps you could lend an ear after supper?”

Bruce turned around, facing the Englishman, and raised an eyebrow. “Why doesn't Dick just tell me that himself then?”

Alfred gave Bruce a look that almost made him since. Though Alfred wasn't Batman, it seemed he had perfected the batglare. 

“Because, Master Bruce. Whenever the lad tries, you never happen to be available. Now tell me, is that purely by coincidence?”

Bruce internally froze. Leave it to Alfred to figure everything out. He scoffed though. 

“Are you suggesting that I'm purposely avoiding him? Because that's crazy. Why would I do that?”

This time, Alfred raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. He could always tell when Bruce was lying. 

Bruce sighed in defeat. “Fine. There...There's just more going on with our current case than I want him to know… I don't WANT to keep avoiding him but…”

“-But you feel like you must in order to protect him?”

Bruce nodded. “Exactly.” He paused for a moment, thinking. 

“Sir?” Alfred asked. 

Bruce ran a hand through his hair. “Okay...I'll talk to him.”

A faint smile came across the butler’s lips. “Great. Now, as I said a minute ago, supper is waiting.”


	5. Chapter 4

To say dinner that night was awkward, was an understatement. Bruce and Dick were sitting at opposite ends of the table, which by the way, was a very LONG table. The two of them silently stared at each other for a moment as Alfred placed their dinner before them. They both thanked the butler, but then it quickly went back to silence. Bruce watched as Dick picked at his food, as if something was bothering him. 

“You okay?” Bruce asked. Dickglanced up with a sort of confused expression. 

“Wha-? Oh.. Yeah, I'm fine. Just not that hungry, I guess.”

More silence. Then, “Bruce...Can I talk to you? After dinner? I know you're really busy and all, but if I could just have a minute-”

Bruce smiled slightly as his ward spoke, though a pang of guilt ran through him. Dick acted almost nervous to ask him that, probably because, well, Bruce had been acting kind of like a jerk recently. 

“Of course you can,” Bruce replied, not mentioning how Alfred had already talked to him about this. 

Dick’s eyes lit up at that. “Wait, really?”

Bruce gave a single nod. “Sure. I always have time to talk to you.”

Dick pursed his lips together, and Bruce felt guilty again, knowing that had been a lie lately. He knew Dick was probably thinking among the lines of ‘well that's NEWS to me.’

Bruce looked down at his food as yet again, an uncomfortable silence filled the air. He felt as though he should say something, but he wasn't sure what. After a minute, he glanced at Dick, who was taking a sip of water. 

“Hey Dick… How about we talk now since we're both already here?”

Dick set his glass down as a small smile crept onto his lips. “Yeah, okay,” he replied before pausing slightly, as if figuring out how to beat phrase his next words. 

“Bruce…” he started as he looked up at his mentor and surrogate father, then sighed. “I'm just going to bluntly say it… You've been acting weird around me lately, and I don't like it.”

Bruce internally winced. Great, just as he dreaded, Dick had noticed his ‘off’ behavior. He put on an innocent expression though. “Weird? How?”

Dick’s eyes narrowed slightly. Just like Alfred, he could almost always tell when Bruce was lying. “You haven't been talking to me much, and when I try, you brush me off. Tonight's the first time this week you haven't.”

Bruce shrugged, maintaining his innocent expression. “I've been busy at Wayne Enterprises, Dick, you know that.”

“Right, but you also haven't been letting me go out on patrol as much lately, and don't think I don't notice when you go off on your own right after.”

Ah, great. Dick knew about that too. Bruce frowned slightly. “Again, I'm sorry Dick, but sometimes there's just things that I need to handle on my own. And besides, you have school on the morning.”

Dick was practically glaring at him now. “That hasn't stopped either of us before! And we’re supposed to be partners, remember? We’re the Dynamic Duo. We’re Batman and Robin! Anything Batman does, I should be able to as well!”

Bruce ran a hand down his face, his expression weary, and gave an exasperated sigh. “Dick, you're still just a kid. You can't-”

Dick threw his hands up in the air, obviously frustrated with his guardian. “I'm 13 Bruce! I'm not a child anymore!” He stood up and turned around, now facing the doorway. He crossed his arms. “I thought you trusted me…” he said, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. 

Bruce’s eyes widened at this. “I do trust you, Dick! Don't be ridiculous! I just-”

Dick whipped back around, and Bruce noticed how his fists were clenched. “BUT WHAT?! If you trusted me, you'd tell me what's going on!”

“Dick, I-”

Dick didn't wait to hear what Bruce was going to say though, before storming out of the dining room in a fury.


	6. Chapter 6

Alfred was about to bring in a light dessert, when he saw Dick storm out of the dining room. “Master Dick?” he questioned, but the lad didn't answer him. Alfred entered the dining room, eyeing Bruce. “I take it that your talk didn't go well?”

Bruce grimaced. “No.” He sighed. “What do I do Alfred? How am I supposed to get him to listen to me?”

“Just be honest with him, Master Bruce. I fear if you aren't, the lad will do something he’ll later regret.”

Bruce didn't like that answer. What if he told Dick and he went off as Robin on his own? What if he got hurt? But on the other hand, if he didn't tell Dick, he would stay mad at him. Besides, if he told Dick Scarecrow was after him, he'd know to be on the lookout.

“Unfortunately, you're right,” Bruce said grimly. “I'll give him some time to cool off and then I'll tell him.” Heck, he would even let Dick stay out later on patrol tonight if he needed. He couldn't stand it when Dick was mad at him. Sadly though, with their clashing personalities, it happened all too often. 

~*~

As Dick came to his room, he went in and slammed the door shut- something Alfred would probably lecture him for later. He couldn't believe Bruce! They'd been working with each other for years now, and all of a sudden, Bruce seemed to forget that they were partners. Not hero and sidekick. Partners.

A part of Dick knew that he was acting childish, but he found that he honestly didn't care. He tried to talk to Bruce, and that obviously didn't work, so what now?

Dick laid down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, starting to calm down a little. Why did the two of them always have to argue? It didn't used to be that way… But Dick was growing up now. He guessed that he'd just have to get used to changes like this. 

~*~

Dick didn't even realize that he had fallen asleep, until he woke up to someone knocking on his door. Almost instantly, his eyes shot open and he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced at the alarm clock by his bed. 8:30 pm. Huh, guess he'd been more emotionally exhausted by this Bruce stuff than he'd thought. Last he checked, it had been about 5:30, and he never went to bed anywhere near that early. 

Dick heard the knocking again, and staggered to his feet and went to open the door. He frowned slightly when he saw it was Bruce. Great. “What?” He snapped. 

Bruce didn't seem pleased by his tone, but did t comment on it. The man had a neutral expression on his face, which Dick currently wanted to slap off of him. 

“Hey Dick.”

No reply. 

“Alfred wanted me to ask you if you're hungry at all. You didn't eat much at dinner.”

Again, no reply. Dick just stayed out and stared at his guardian. 

“I...I'm sorry for earlier.”

Dick raised an eyebrow at this. Bruce was apologizing. He never apologized. This was definetly new. 

Dick was silent for a moment, and he noticed that Bruce’s expression fell ever so slightly. His anger was fading, though he was still mad at Bruce, and didn't acknowledge his apology. Jerky move, he knew, but at the moment, he didn't care. 

“Is that all?” Dick replied in a tone that was colder than he intended. 

“No, actually,” the billionaire sighed. “You were right, Dick. We’re partners. You deserve to know what I've been keeping from you.”

Dick crossed his arms and listened patiently and attentively as Bruce explained how Scarecrow had a fear fear gas with no current cure, and only with slight hesitation did he tell Dick how Scarecrow was after him. 

Instead of looking frightened or worried by this news, Dick didn't looked fazed at all. If anything, he merely looked confused. “After me? Why?”

Bruce shrugged. “I'm not sure. My best guess… He wants to get to me through you.” It made sense. Other villains had tried the same thing before, after all. 

Dick’s lips pressed tightly together before he spoke again. “Well, whatever the reason, we don't have any reason to worry. As long as we wear gas masks while facing him, he can't get to me.”

Somehow, Bruce didn't think it would be that simple.

“Maybe,” he said. “But still, I want you to be careful.”

Dick’s eyebrows furrowed. “Won't be hard considering you barely let me out on patrol anymore.”

“Well, actually-”

“What?”

Bruce took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. Dick sure wasn't making this easy. It was probably a teenager thing. 

“I was thinking that I'd let you stay out on patrol a little later tonight.”

“How considerate of you.” Dick’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. 

Bruce clenched his fist, then quickly unclenched it. Honestly, why couldn't Dick just drop the attitude?

“Yeah, well I'm heading out in half an hour, so I'd hurry up and get ready if you're going to come.” With that, Bruce turned around and headed to where Dick assumed was the Batcave. 

Dick was still mad at Bruce, even though he knew it was stupid of him to be so. He did want to patrol though… Especially now that Dick knew what was going on, and the fact that Bruce said he could stay out longer. 

Shutting his door, Dick went down to the Batcave to get ready for patrol.


	7. Chapter 7

Dick didn't waste any time in getting ready for his patrol with Batman. Now that he knew Scarecrow was after him, he had even more motivation to find and capture him again. He wasn't going to let him get to Batman though him if he had anything to do about it. 

“Robin, you ready?” the gruff voice of Batman asked. He gave a nod in reply. “Good,” Batman said back. “Then let's go.”

~*~

The ride in the Batmobile consisted of yet another awkward silence. Bruce seemed like he wanted to talk to Dick, but he didn't. This annoyed Dick. Bruce did this all the time. He knew the man wasn't great with expressing feelings or emotions, but Dick wished he didn't look so darn heartless all the time. 

He supposed that he should give Bruce some credit for doing his best at apologizing. After all, it wasn't his fault that Dick was so stubborn sometimes. And while his apology was short and straight to the point, Dick knew that he meant it. 

Still. Bruce didn't have to keep this from him in the first place. 

He didn't have to treat him like a child. 

But he did. And Dick was having a hard time forgiving him for that...

At first, not much happened on patrol. Batman and Robin caught some minor crooks, several of them just muggers. Robin was starting to get slightly bored, when he heard Batman’s voice. 

“Robin, Scarecrow’s been spotted five blocks from here. You should go-”

Robin cut Batman off, glaring at him. “Nuh uh. You are not sending me home.”

“Robin-” Batman’s voice was stern. 

“No! I don't care if he's after me. I can handle myself. I have my rebreather. There's no way he can get to me. Partners, remember?” 

For just a split second, Tobin could see the concern show on Batman’s face. Then it was gone. “Fine. But you NEED to listen and carry out my orders very carefully. Otherwise, back to the cave.”

Robin gave a single nod to show that he understood, but didn't verbally reply. The two of them hopped back into the Batmobile and drove off to stop Scarecrow- hopefully for good. 

They drove until they got about just one block away from Scarecrow’s location. Robin quickly exited the Batmobile, clearly looking ready to kick some bad guy butt. Then, as he was about to go, he felt a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Robin turned around to face Batman. “What?” he said. 

“You're not going to engage. You'll stand lookout while I engage him.”

“What?! You can't-”

Batman’s expression hardened slightly. “Yes I can. If you argue, then you might as well go back to the cave now.”

“Fine,” Robin grumbled. 

The two of them got into their positions, and Robin (though he hated it) watched as Batman approached Scarecrow. He and Bats were already wearing their rebreathers, the duo knowing very well how Scarecrow would try to gas them. Robin was contemplating on rebelling Batman’s orders, and go and help, when a hand suddenly covered his mouth and pulled him back.


	8. Chapter 8

Robin’s first instinct was to whip out a birdarang to defend himself, but as he did that, he felt the cold steel of a dagger press against his throat. “I wouldn't do that if I were you,” an unfamiliar voice growled. 

Robin’s eyes were wide as the man (he presumed it was a man, anyway. Could just be a woman with a very masculine voice) forced him to turn around and walk over to where Scarecrow was. 

“There, I got the little brat.” Next thing Tobin knew, he was being whacked hard on the head and sent tumbling to the ground. 

“Robin!” he heard Batman call out. His head was pounding, but he heard some shuffling going on, like the beginning of a fight. Robin could hear Batman growl. “Don't lay a single hand on him,” his mentor said threateningly. 

There was a sick, twisted laugh. “I warned you Batman. I warned you, yet he's here anyway. It's like you want me to have him. Now your little sidekick will pay for that.” Someone forced Robin to his knees. His hands were being held behind his back, so he couldn't get into his utility belt to escape. He struggled, but the dagger was placed against threat again. “Eh, eh, eh, little birdie,” his captor said as the dagger was pressed closer to his throat. Robin could feel a small line of blood trickle down his neck. 

He heard the familiar sound of Batman beating the crap out of someone. Glancing up, he saw that someone to be Scarecrow. But Robin was still defenseless, being forced to his knees by another man and held by knife-point. 

Suddenly, Robin felt something sharp pierce his left arm. At first, it was just a pinch, but then the pain grew antagonizing. His eyes squeezed shut, and he cried out as the dagger was lifted away from his throat. 

“Robin!” he heard Batman say. But he was already drifting away into unconsciousness…

~*~

Dick’s eyes fluttered open. He then proceeded to shut them quickly, because it was very bright. Dick opened his eyes again, and narrowed them, trying to adjust to the light. 

As he slowly sat up and looked around, he noticed that he was in the Batcave’s medbay. Glancing over by the door, he saw Batman (minus the cowl) sitting in a chair, his head resting on his hand, a frown on his face, and staring intently at the floor. “B-Bruce?” he called out. He swallowed. His throat felt dry. 

Dick suddenly felt Bruce’s eyes on him, then watched, as his guardian leapt up and an expression of relief came to his face. 

“Dick!” Bruce exclaimed as he gave his ward a rare hug, causing Dick’s eyebrows to raised. “I'm so glad you're okay. Alfred and I were so worried…” Bruce put his hand on Dick’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”

Dick’s head hurt a little, and so did his throat, where the blade had been harshly pressed against it. Dick cracked a slight smile. “Thirsty,” he replied. Seconds later, Bruce came back with a tall glass of water. 

“There you go,” he said, looking unsure of what else to say to his young ward. 

Dick mumbled his thanks, before taking a long drink of water, draining the glass. He set the glass down and looked back at Bruce. “So… What happened? Why am I in the medbay? And where's Alfred?” 

Bruce couldn't help but smile slightly at the last question. “How much do you remember?”

Dick frowned. “I don't know… We were on patrol, and then someone came up behind me… Everything happened too quickly to remember after that…”

Bruce sighed. “Well, you were injected with something that Alfred and I found to be a… liquid fear gas… I suppose you would describe it…”

“Um. What?” Dick asked. 

Bruce sat back in his chair before looking at Dick again. “I told you Scarecrow and that other guy were after you. They must have known from experience that we would be wearing our rebreathers, so they had to find a different way to give you the substance.”

Dick’s frown grew. “Then, shouldn't I, you know… Be terrified out of my mind or something?”

Bruce sighed again and ran a hand through his hair, and it was only then that Dick realized how exhausted the man looked. “That's the thing, you should be. But you aren't… And that's what worries me… All the different fear gases I've encountered so far were much faster acting than this. And Alfred said there was no trace of the substance in your bloodstream anywhere. Whatever they did…”

Even though Bruce didn't say it, Dick knew his meaning. He was worried for him. They didn't know what the drug would do, and if it even WOULD do anything. It was a terrifying thought.

“So… Where's Alfred?” The who shared a weak smile.


	9. Chapter 9

Dick felt more or less back to normal the following morning. Bruce didn't want him to go to school, nervous that the fear toxin would act up. He knew the tests they did on Dick showed no signs of the drug being in his blood system still, but the toxin had been proved to be unpredictable. 

It was Friday though, so it didn't really matter as much. Besides, Dick was already ahead of most of his classes. He wasn't really missing anything. 

“Master Dick, are you positive you're alright?” Alfred asked as he set his charge’s morning meal before him. Dick gave an exasperated sigh. 

“Yes. How many times do I have to tell you and Bruce that? The rest have already cleared me.”

“We are merely worried, Master Dick. Just be sure to tell us right away if you notice anything out of the ordinary.”

Dick shoved a fork full of scrambled eggs in his mouth. “Yef Afed,” he said. 

Alfred glared at him. “Young sir, how many times must I tell you not to speak with your mouth full? I do not tolerate bad manners.”

Dick promptly shut his mouth and swallowed, before grinning sheepishly. “Sorry?”

Alfred chuckled lightly, before returning to the kitchen. “Oh yes- and don't forget about your fitting today. I'll take you to get it done soon after lunch. Usually, with the recent events that have happened, I would have cancelled it, but as you so eagerly claimed yourself, you are fine, so there is no reason why you should not go.”

At that comment, Dick groaned and slouched down in his chair. “Ugh, don't remind me,” he grumbled. With the depressing news of his fitting in his mind (seriously, who still went to get a fitting done?), he went back to glumly eating his breakfast. 

~*~

A few hours later, Dick returned with Alfred from his suit fitting. It was horrible. The whole time he was just standing there bored, while he got measured and a bunch of other things. Dick thought it was all ridiculous. Why go through all the trouble to get fitted for a suit, when you could easily purchase a premade one that looked just as nice? It didn't make any sense to Dick. Just the “fun” of being rich, he supposed. 

As Dick walked back into the manor with Alfred, the elderly butler noticed the frown on his face. 

“Why are you looking so solemn, Master Dick?” he asked. “The fitting wasn't that bad, was it?”

Dick shrugged. “Eh. Why did I need to do that anyway? Wouldn't it have been easier to just get an already made suit?” He paused. “But there's also tomorrow's social thingy...Definitely not looking forward to that.”

“That's understandable. Master Bruce often complains about them too, and he's been going to them his whole life.”

Dick smirked slightly. “He does?”

“Nearly every day, I assure you,” Alfred said with a smile. “But look on the bright side: the social won't be held as late as most of the other ones you've attended. It should pass by much quicker.”

“Doubtful,” Dick replied. “But thanks for trying to cheer me up Alfie.”

“My pleasure, Master Dick.”


	10. Chapter 10

Dick sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. His suit was perfect, not a wrinkle in it, thanks to Alfred. His tie felt like it was choking him, and his hair was slicked back with some gel. This person staring back at him in the mirror was definitely NOT him at all, that was for sure. 

“Dick, are you ready? The guests will start to arrive soon, and we both need to be there to greet them,” he heard Bruce call out from the hallway. 

Grumbling, Dick exited his room and went out to Bruce. “Where is this thing being held anyway? The ballroom?”

Bruce chuckled. “The garden. It is a garden party, after all.”

“Ah, makes sense,” Dick replied with a sheepish smile. 

\---

A few hours later, Dick found himself greeting the guests as they arrived to Bruce’s dumb garden party. He had plastered a very fake smile onto his face, but no one seemed to notice. “How do you do it?” Dick whispered to Bruce as another guest shook their hands. 

“How do I do what?”

“Deal with these type of things. They're super boring, and everyone here are jerks.”

Bruce chuckled. “Years of practice. Believe me, I've always hated these things, especially when I was a kid.”

“Do they get any less boring over the years?”

“No, not at all.”

Dick sighed. Guess he'd be stuck doing things like this till he moved away from Bruce, and he wasn't sure when that would be. For all he knew, he never would. He doubted that though. The second he could get away from all of these rich shenanigans, he would. 

Bruce squeezed his shoulder. “You've stood here long enough. Go get some refreshments or something.” 

Dick nodded and mumbled his thanks, before walking over to a waiter. He grabbed one of the tiny sandwiches, and shoved it in his mouth, ignoring some of the stares that action earned him. Like he cared. 

“Thanks,” he muttered to the waiter, before finding his way over to a chair and sitting down. He sighed, looking up at the darkening sky. Then, he heard a group of people chatting nearby in hushed voices. 

“I don't know why he still keeps the boy!” one woman said. 

A man holding a glass of wine replied to her, “It's all for the publicity, believe me. Why else would he take in some circus brat?”

Dick frowned when he heard that. Sure, people had said things like this countless times before, but they still hurt. 

He tried his best to ignore some of the other comments about him, such as, “Gypsy scum,” or, “Meaningless charity case,” but then one sentence from a dark haired woman with Ruby red lips really hit him:

“-would have been better for everyone if he'd just died with his parents…”

Dick’s eyes widened and his brow furrowed in anger. They didn't just say that...They didn't…

But then, he was suddenly brought back to that one fateful night in Gotham, just a few years ago. There he was, just a kid, watching, as his parents stood ready to perform.

 

/Ladies and Gentlemen of Gotham City-” Mister Haly’s voice rang out, loud and clear. “We have a special surprise for you tonight! The Flying Grayson's- world class acrobats- will be performing some of their most dangerous stunts yet! And without a net!”

Murmurs of suspense and excitement ran through the large crowd. Dick himself could barely contain his own excitement as his parents grabbed onto their trapezes, and then soared gracefully into the air. John and Mary Grayson were at it again. But then- gasps wrung out through the air. Young Dick Grayson watched in terror as they fell to their deaths… Right before his eyes…

There were screams, shouts for help. But it was too late. They hit the ground, now sprawled across the ground, large puddles of blood forming beneath them. Tears came to Dick’s eyes as he ran to them, begging them to wake up.

“‘Mami! Tati!” he cried out. But there was no reply.../

 

Dick wiped a single tear from his face as he turned away from the party guests. His flashback had seemed too real...He felt as though he had really been there again. 

He suddenly felt sick, and his head started spinning. He closed his eyes to make it stop, but when he did, he was back there again and again. Dick opened his eyes, frantically. It was all too vivid...Too real...But when he opened his eyes, they were still there. 

More tears came to his eyes as he was forced to watch the horrible scene replay itself. He turned around, but then his parents were there again, only this time as ghosts. Dick watched as his parents’ ghosts glared at him angrily and with disappointment on their faces. It was so unlike them, yet so real looking…

“You could have saved us,” his dad’s voice rang out. 

Dick’s eyes widened. “N-No! I-”

“You what?” the ghosts of his mother sneered. “You overheard Zucco threatening Mr. Halt. Why didn't you tell anyone?”

Dick fell to his knees. “I-”

“We died...Because of YOU!”

Dick buried his face in his hands and started shaking. He tried to speak, but no words could be formed. After countless nightmares, this was finally a reality. He always feared this happening… Probably, because in a sense, it was his fault his parents died. That's what he told himself, anyway. He should have told someone, anyone what he had overheard, but he didn't, and because of that, his parents paid the ultimate price. 

“Pull...Pull yourself together Grayson,” he whispered to himself. This wasn't real...This wasn't happening…

But no matter how many times he told himself that, he just couldn't believe it. All sense or reason he had disappeared and was replaced by mighty guilt and fear. 

Dick covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to shut it all out. 

“It's not real...It's not real…” he kept mumbling. Choked sobs started coming from his thirst. 

“It's not real…”


	11. Chapter 11

Bruce was preparing to give a small speech in front of all his guests, when he noticed a slight commotion going on in the far side of the yard. 

“Mr. Wayne,” one of the guests said in a panic. “It's your ward, Richard. Something's wrong with him.”

Bruce didn't need to hear another word, before racing over to where he assumed Dick was. His heart was thumping in his chest, and he had to force himself to remain calm. He knew that he didn't always act like it, but he really cared about the kid. They were the only family that each other had left (besides Alfred, of course). They were Batman and Robin...The Dynamic Duo… If Bruce dare say it, they were even more than that. They were father and son. 

“Dick?” Where is he, where is he… Bruce’s eyes widened in worry when he saw the state that he was in. “Dick!” he exclaimed. He rushed over and knelt by his surrogate son’s side. 

It was bad. Dick was practically curled up in a ball, his eyes wide with fright. His pupils were displayed, he was very pale, and a thin layer of sweat was covering his face. He was shaking too. What worried Bruce even more, was that he was murmuring quietly to himself in what sounded to be Romani. Dick only reverted to his birth tongue when he was truly frightened or scared. 

The fear gas. 

Or rather, the fear toxin. 

Scarecrow…

Bruce gently picked Dick up and started carrying him back to the manor. “He's fine,” he told several party guests who were nearby. He forced a smile, though it was extremely hard for him to do at the moment. “He's just...Tired…”. He doubted anyone would believe that poor excuse, but the guests went back to minding themselves nonetheless. It just showed how much they really cared about Dick… Still thought of him as nothing more than a charity case, then. 

Bruce saw Alfred near the front, and went up to him. The worry was evident in Alfred’s eyes, when he saw the state of Dick. 

“My word!” the elderly butler said. “Whatever happened to dear Master Richard?”

“Scarecrow. Fear toxin,” Bruce stated. Like usual, he put on his ‘simply business’ face. “Tell the guests to disband. The party’s over.”

Normally, Alfred would object to doing so before the party rightfully came to an end, but he didn't because of the special circumstances. “Of course, Master Bruce,” he said. 

Without another word, Bruce entered the Manor and went down to the Batcave as quickly as possible, Dick still in his arms. People had died from this unknown toxin before...People had died… Bruce couldn't let that happen to Dick. 

It didn't make any sense. When they checked Dick out the previous night, there hadn't been any trace of the toxin in his veins… Bruce should have known something was up. The toxin wouldn't just vanish for no reason. He must have missed something.

Bruce laid Dick down in the medbay, then got straight to work on trying to fix him. His partner...No, his son was laying on that table right now, probably terrified out of his whim. Bruce knew what the boy had to be experiencing right now, and it didn't seem pleasant at all. 

He would have to work fast. 

\---

A few hours passed, and Bruce was growing both frustrated and even more worried. He had scanned Dick, taken a blood sample… Nothing had come up though. Then, Bruce took a closer look. It took a little while, but he was able to identify a few compounds of the fear toxin. It was cleverly made to be easily avoided by any tests that one might do to check for it. But after working furiously, Bruce had found it anyway. 

There were traces of Scopolamine, Atropine, and Psilocybin, which were common in most of Scarecrow’s other concoctions. But there was also something else...Some other chemical he couldn't identify…

Bruce his good at what he did. He was good enough to (with Alfred’s occasional assistance) make antidotes to Scarecrow’s fear gas before, and make all sorts of cool gadgets. But as much as he knew and as good as he may have been, Bruce was no scientist. And while he may have hated it, he knew when he needed help. 

And Dick was slowly losing his mind from the fear toxin. There was a great chance he could die. So Bruce needed help. And in this situation, Bruce contacted the first person who came to mind. 

“Barry, I need your help.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter everybody! Thanks for joining me on this amazing ride ;)

The absolute last thing Barry Allen, AKA the Flash was expecting today, was a call from Bruce saying that he needed his help. Bruce had never gone to him for help before… At least not directly. It was always him and the Justice League, never just...Him…

But knowing that, Barry knew that something had to seriously be wrong for the almighty Batman to ask him help.

“Get to the Batcave as soon as possible,” Bruce had said. “It’s an emergency.” His tone was calm, but Barry could detect a hint of fear and worry behind it. 

So yeah. That was how Barry had ended up at the Batcave. He knew where it was, but he had never actually been there, and he was surprised to see that it was an actual batcave.   
“I guess old Bats is just full of surprises,” Barry muttered as he sped over to Batman. 

“So...Whatsup?” he asked Bruce. 

Bruce turned around and stood up, looking at Barry. Bruce looked exhausted. There were dark circles underneath his eyes, and he looked like he hadn't slept for days. 

“It's Dick,” he said. “Robin…”

Barry’s eyes widened slightly. “Dick? What happened to him? Isheokay,whodoineedtofight-”

“Barry. Slow down,” Bruce said as he punched the bridge of his nose. “It was Scarecrow. Well, it was was an associate of his anyway… I don't know their identity yet, and so far they've kept a pretty low profile.” He paused for a second. “They were after Dick...In means of getting revenge on me, I suppose. Dick was injected with a fear toxin of sorts, and there's a component in it that I can't figure out. That's why I need your help.”

“Okay...Show me the sample of the toxin and I'll get right to work.”

\---

Barry turned out to be a great help. Luckily, because he was a speedster, he was able to work very quickly. Otherwise, they might have been too late…

Barry held the just finished antidote in his hands and looked at it with a frown on his face. “This is definitely a strange mixture… Effective, but strange. And based on what you told me, Scarecrow never used this other chemical before?”

Bruce shook his head. “No. He generally uses the same things. And he never makes them this intricate. Whoever his associate is knows what they're doing, and that's what worries me. Last thing we need is a new and improved version of Scarecrow.”

Barry was about to reply, when they suddenly noticed Dick convulsing. 

“Dick!” Bruce cried out. He rushed over to the unconscious acrobat and held his shoulders down firmly as Alfred came into the room. 

“Good lord!” Alfred exclaimed when he saw Dick. Knowing immediately what to do, he went over to stabilize him. 

Bruce turned to Barry, his eyes wide with panic. Barry was unnerved. He'd never seen Bruce lose it like this before. Usually he was so calm and reserved. “R-right,” Barry muttered as he brought the antidote over. 

Dick was crying out now, between the brink of unconsciousness and consciousness. “Mami! Tati!” he said. He started speaking a lot of other Romani gibberish that Bruce couldn't make out. 

Dick’s eyes suddenly shot open. They were blood red and wide with absolute fright. He looked straight at Bruce, and then immediately passed out again. 

“Barry, now!” Bruce yelled. Gulping, Barry sped over and injected the antidote into Dick. Once he did, he took a step back. Dick slowly stopped convulsing. Slowly but steadily, he stopped shaking all together. His expression of fright had vanished into a mere worried look. 

Bruce sighed with relief and ran a hand through his hair. It was over now. It was all over. Dick was cured, and he would be okay now.

“Thank you Barry. I owe you one.” He said as he took a seat beside Dick, looking as exhausted as ever. 

“Nah, you don't owe me anything. I'm just glad I was able to help the kid,” Barry replied. He was glad the antidote had been fast acting. The toxin induced fear he had been experiencing had caused a lot of stress to his body, and Barry knew that he would need a while to completely recover. Bruce knew that too. 

But one thing was for sure, and it was that right now, Dick was alive and relatively okay. And that was all Bruce asked for. 

\---  
~Epilogue~

A week passed, and Dick was back to his normal cheerful self, for the most part. He was back in school, back on patrol, and he was even starting to forget about the whole ordeal he had just experienced. 

At night, Dick still had nightmares. Terrible ones. He guessed they were just a side effect of the fear toxin. Bruce, being the detective he was, found out about the nightmares the third night they occurred, and told Dick not to worry. He told him that they would go away soon. 

But even with that assurance, a bad feeling was still gnawing at Dick. He didn't remember much from the night that he had been injected with the toxin, and Bruce wouldn't tell him. But he did know that Scarecrow had been working with someone. 

Bruce put Scarecrow back in Arkhangelsk the night Dick got the antidote. But his associate wasn't to be seen anywhere. He was good, whoever he was. They hadn't left any clues behind. 

That was what scared Dick though. He had been gassed with Scarecrow’s mixtures before, but he had never been as afraid as he had with this fear toxin. It was advanced. It was new. And it was deadly. And no one had anyway of knowing if the mysterious new fear maker would strike again. 

Dick wasn't dead. Scarecrow’s original goal had been to kill Dick. So what did that mean for him? How could he live his day to day life knowing that he could be targeted any day now. And this time, he might actually die. 

It was unnerving. And Dick was worried he was on the brink of paranoia. But then he thought to himself: if the new and mysterious associate of Scarecrows did come back...This time they would be prepared. This time they would know what to expect. And this time they would stop him once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that this fic is over, why don't you go check out the second part to this, "Flight of Vengeance"? It takes place a few years in the future when Dick is Nightwing, Damian is Robin, and I think you might just like it!


End file.
